The Thirteenth
by calleja.stephanie
Summary: What if there was actually thirteen Gods on Mount Olympus? How did she get there and why did she leave? Gonna be some romance with Apollo ;
1. WELCOME TO MY NEW STORY! PREVIEW

So, I'm trying to get back into writing, and where better to start with than what I'm currently obsessed with? ;)  
The story is going to be called The Thirteenth, which is basically about a thirteenth God on Mount Olympus named Sarkasmos (Goddess Of Sarcasm!). I know it sounds a bit ridiculous, but the plan is for it to be funny, romantic, a little bit sad, but mostly a good read for anyone interested in Greek Mythology! So I hope you enjoy... here's a preview :)

_"Come on, Zeus. Give me a break!" I muttered under my breath. As I made the 2 kilometre walk home, the wind grew wild and my long curly, frizzy red hair flew around, entangled itself within itself. As I looked up to the sky, I noticed the sun slowly being pushed behind a cloud. I sighed, knowing it was no use trying to talk sense into him, and hugged myself in order to stay warm. The minute I left the train station, everything had gotten dark and cold. I knew all the signs of Zeus being angry, but I couldn't understand why he was being so rude to me! _


	2. CHAPTER ONE: I GET BULLIED BY A GOD!

Chapter One: I get bullied by a God

"Come on, Zeus. Give me a break!" I muttered under my breath. As I made the 2 kilometre walk home, the wind grew wild and my long curly, frizzy red hair flew around, entangled itself within itself. As I looked up to the sky, I noticed the sun slowly being pushed behind a cloud. I sighed, knowing it was no use trying to talk sense into him, and hugged myself in order to stay warm. The minute I left the train station, everything had gotten dark and cold. I knew all the signs of Zeus being angry, but I couldn't understand why he was being so rude to me! Eventually, the sun and the clouds began a game of cat and mouse. The sun however, was losing. No matter how fast it tried to set, to avoid the clouds, the wind blew harder and harder to block the sun's view of the world. At least, where I was in the world. This little game went on, until eventually, it started raining. This meant the wind had died down a little, but it also meant the sun was hidden from me. Feeling around the bottom of my school bag, I realised I had left my umbrella in my locker. Instead of protecting me from rain, it was being protected from rain by the locker door. "God damn it", I muttered. Hail stones began to fall, and the wind began to blow against my body. Well, that was a mistake. After a few minutes more, the heavy shower turned into a drizzle, the wind into a gentle breeze. Not a particularly pleasant one, but a breeze none the less. And as I turned the corner into my street, the sun shone on me, right up until I was at my front door. It was the first real smiled I had shown all day. I guess I should explain. Well, that sounds a bit cliché. I think I need to explain. I'm Sarkasmos. My friends call me Sarka. My enemies call me annoying. I'm the 13th God of Olympus.

But hang on, there's only 12 Gods on Olympus. You must be mistaken. Perhaps you're a minor God, or just a delusional human. Yes, I've heard everything you're thinking before. In my own head. But I'm serious. The 13th God of Olympus, that no human has ever heard about. That would be due to the sand. The sand, you ask? I guess the main idea behind the sand is that inside every humans head is a tiny grain of sand. A single grain. And well… the Gods control that grain of sand. I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous. And I don't mean through that they control everything about the person. They simply control the way each person views things. It's only used when it needs to be used. I can't really explain how right now. There's more you need to know before I start talking about the mechanics of the sand. So! I am the Greek Goddess of Sarcasm. Does that sound stupid? Yes. Sometimes it's one thing I hate about myself. That with of all the amazing Gods out there and all their amazing powers, I get stuck with sarcasm. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a mean person. I'm not anti-social or hard to talk to. I can be negative and well, sarcastic sometimes, but apart from that, I'm like a normal person.

I don't even know how I made it to Olympus. Well, I do, but sarcasm isn't a great thing to be associated with. It was an ordinary day for me when it happened. I was a minor Goddess, talking to Demeter, the only Goddess from Olympus who would talk to me, who was tending to the gardens as best as she could without Persephone there. She was sad, and I was comforting her. Well… I was trying to, until God-awful music (pardon the pun) starting playing from nowhere. It was then I met Apollo (God of music, truth, prophecy, medicine, poetry and the sun) for the first time. He casually stepped out from behind the tree I had been persuading Demeter to heal, sunglasses perched upon his glorious head of blonde curly hair. His blue eyes sparkled, tan radiated and made him glow. I'll admit… he looked hot, no pun intended. However, he _had_ interrupted my conversation with Demeter and that was _not_ okay. So my attitude kicked in, as it does when I get frustrated. While I was yelling at him and making a give fuss, he grabbed my shoulders, and before I knew it, there I was.

On Mount Olympus, in the Hall of the Gods. 10 pairs of unimpressed eyes glared at me. One pair was particularly angry-looking. That'd be Zeus. Remember him, the God of Gods, who controls the sky, wind and thunder. He raised his finger and I knew he was gonna blast my ass back to Earth, but the sound of Apollo's laughter drew the attention away from me. "Apollo!", Zeus said in a shocked tone, "You're laughing!?". He kept chuckling, the sound of his laughter filling up the hall had everyone smiling. "So you guys don't laugh up here much, do you?" I asked, sarcastically. Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and the moon, and Apollo's twin sister, was the only one to answer me. "He hasn't laughed since Coronis", she whispered, in a confused tone. "Oh". Coronis had broken Apollo's heart. So Artemis killed her.

It sounds a bit extreme but I guess that's the way Gods are. They don't do things half-assed. Everyone knew of Apollo's troubles. His lamentation had caused the days to become shorter. The sun rose late and set early. I was so confused as to why I had made him laugh, but I decided not to question it. Artemis started smiling, and laughing along with her brother. Zeus stopped looking so serious, and his face began to soften. "Lord Zeus, I think this girl should join us", said Artemis. I cringed at the word girl. I _was_ only a minor God, but I definitely was not a_ girl_. But I stopped myself from complaining, because Zeus nodded in agreement. "All those in favour of the girl joining us on Olympus?". Twelve hands went up, including Apollo's. He had calmed down, but he stared at me with a massive grin on his face. "You're name, child?" asked Hera. "Sarkasmos. Goddess of Sarcasm". Zeus grinned at that. "Welcome to Olympus, Sarkasmos". And that was that. I know what you're thinking. How could getting on Olympus be so easy? Honestly, I don't know. I don't know why he chose to annoy me, or why my reaction made him laugh. All I know is that he is the reason I made it on to Olympus. And ironically, he's the reason I got kicked off.

So, over the next 2 years, which may not seem all that long, but remember that time runs differently on Olympus, Apollo and I (brace yourself because this is about to get cheesy!) fell in love. Honestly, with Apollo, time seemed to stand still and speed up all together. He was charming, cheeky and happy around me at first. Which was fine, good even. It was always fun being around him. But after a few months, things hit rocky grounds. I wanted to leave Olympus, not because I didn't enjoy it, but because while smiles and sunshine are swell, I still felt like I hadn't even begun to know who Apollo was as a person. After a few fights, and a couple of threats to leave, he began to open himself up. He shed a tear as he told me about Marpessa, the mortal who chose another over him. For days after telling me of his troubles with Cassandra, the human who used him to receive the gift of prophecy, he refused to talk to anyone. I remember seeing bloodied knuckles and holes in walls while I made him relive his strife with Leucothea and her sister Clytia. I remember the time I told him that if I ever asked him something he didn't want to answer, all he had to do was tell me, and I'd back right off. But he never did. After weeks of uncertainty and nervousness, I finally told Apollo that I loved him. I loved his happy, sunny side. I loved the darker side, that yelled and got angry. He proposed, and we were happy. Until one of Apollo's musical competitors and arch-enemies, Marsyas, started following me.

At first, it wasn't obvious. I don't know how he even managed to get into Olympus, let alone get in unnoticed. But Marsyas did. It was worse when I went down to Earth, especially when Apollo remained in Olympus. When I first realized there was someone following me, I got Artemis to catch him for me. She succeeded, but once I realised who it was, I let him go because he was only a satyr. Satyrs are half man, half goat. So yeah… you can see why I didn't think he was much of a threat. I wanted to tell Apollo about what had happened, but I didn't want to worry him. However, things got worse. He started showing up more often, usually when I was alone. This one time, things got really scary. He had my cornered, basically. I don't want to go into too much detail, but all I know is that if it weren't for Apollo and his power of prophecy, well… I might have ended up dead. Or worse.

Thankfully, my knight in shining armour came to my rescue. After he knew I was safe, and got Artemis to take care of me, Apollo got his revenge. You know how I said Gods don't do things half-assed? Well. Apollo flayed him alive. And when I say flayed, I mean skinned. Honestly, it did scare me. I guess it's hard to think of someone you think you know so well being so… cruel. But what scared me most was when Apollo described what happened as he was dying. _"He had this grin on his face. Like he'd just won the lottery, or was laughing at a joke I didn't understand… Sarka, I have a feeling something bad is going to come out of this, I just wish I knew what"._ I guess Marsyas deserved it. Well… did he? I don't know. But I remember the look on Hermes face when he told me all of the Olympians were having a meeting in the Hall of the Gods. "Why!? Gods kill things all the time!" I shouted. In a calm manner, Herme's replied. "The Fates have said it was not his time. Hades is looking for a lower form to replace the satyr. Something about restoring cosmic balance…" he shrugged. "Things get serious when the Fates get involved, right?" I asked. "Someone will be punished for the death of the satyr. No matter his crimes, he died before destiny decided". "What sort of punishment?" I whispered. "Banishment from Olympus, eternity in the Underworld, death, mortality. It depends on Zeus's mood, and whoever he finds to be guilty…". I nodded grimly, and followed him.

It was set up like a court. Zeus seated where a judge would usually be, Apollo sitting with his head down, where a defendant would be. Hermes held my hand and lead me to my throne, placed where the rest of the jury was seated. Artemis sat in her throne with her head in her hands. I walked over and placed my hand on her shoulder, but she didn't respond. Eventually, Apollo looked up. His eyes were red, tears stained his cheek. He gave me a sorrowful look, before he turned away. "He looks so scared", I whispered. Hermes leaned into my ear and whispered back "Only of being taken away from you". He gently pulled my hand into his, and sat with me in silence until the trial began. As I looked around at the rest of the jury, I noticed the similarities between everyone. No one smiled. The only colour worn was black. You would have mistaken it for a funeral. Coming here, I had had no idea about how serious the consequences would be for Apollo, but as I looked around, I could feel the colour drain from my face.

"Apollo, you have been charged with unwarranted murder against the satyr Marsyas. You have pleaded guilty. Would you like to make an opening statement?", informed Zeus.  
"He deserved to die. And if I hadn't killed him, he would have killed Sarka", a somber Apollo replied. "Very well. We'll have our first witness, Artemis, to the stand please".  
Artemis struggled to stand, and when she eventually did, she stumbled and tripped over inanimate objects. The first questions were simple; what's your name, your relation to the defendant, what you witnessed. Artemis explained how I asked her to follow me in case there was somebody else there, and how she captured him, but he refused to tell us why he was following us. When Zeus asked if she knew or was present at the flaying, she subtly looked down at Apollo and he moved his head slowly to the left, then back to the right. I don't know who else noticed this, but it was at that moment I learned that Artemis had helped her brother kill Marsyas. She looked down before whispering a no. "You are free to go sit down then", said Zeus.

The next and only witness left was me. As I walked to the stand, I took the long route, just so I could walk past Apollo and place my hand over his. He didn't look at me. Although I knew coming to court would be a serious matter, I realised just how ignorant I had been. As I touched Apollo's hand, he let me creep into his mind for a split second. And I saw that this would be the end of us. One way or another, there would be no escape. It was inevitable for us to be separated. And that is exactly what Marsyas had wanted. Apollo, his only competitor, and only enemy, to be kicked off Olympus, or killed. As I pulled away and continued walking to the stand, tears began to form in the corners of my eyes.

After the regulation questions, I was asked to tell my version of what happened. I tried to explain everything, from him being on Mount Olympus, to being trapped between him and a wall. Piteous looks were given from the jury, even Zeus looked sympathetic. But when he asked me if I knew about the flaying or was present during, I didn't answer straight away. I looked at the broken Artemis, Apollo sitting there avoiding my gaze. If me and Apollo were destined to be torn apart, the least I could do was keep him and Artemis together. "Of course I was there. I was the one who did it", I replied. Gasps everywhere, as expected. Artemis's jaw dropped. Apollo's head whipped around to face me. He mouthed no, but it was too late. "You admit you flayed Marsyas alive, that you knew Apollo was being blamed and yet refused to say anything?", Zeus replied shocked. "Yes, I'm admitting it. I'd do it again if I'd been given a chance", I replied, nonchalantly. "Well, I'm afraid I've no other choice".

The room was dead quiet. No one made a sound, or move. It was like time had slowed down. And it turns out, it had. Aphrodite got out of her seat to stand in front of me while the rest of the room remained paused. "Sarka, you were willing to give yourself up to save those you love. Although it may take time, you will be rewarded", she said with a kiss on my forehead. "Keep strong, child", she murmured, and just like that, she was back in her seat and time resumed.

"Sarkasmos, as you are only a new Olympian, I shall spare you death or an eternity in hell. In order to make up for the absence of a satyr soul on Earth, I sentence you to a **human** life on Earth, indefinitely. You will have no recollection of any of us, just the sense of guilt throughout your human life. Any Gods who attempt to contact you will be punished. Should you ever find your way back to Mount Olympus before your sentence is up, you shall be sent right back down to Earth to restart your sentence", before slamming the gavel down twice. As Ares and Hephaestus made their way towards me to take me away, I ran to Apollo and held him in my arms for one last time. "Sarka, don't forget me!" he begged. "I could never forget you! Wait for me, Apollo!", but Ares pulled me away from him. He took my by the arms and pushed me out the door.

We took a Pegasus drawn chariot back down to Earth. The trip took about thirty minutes, but I wasn't allowed to talk at all. Except, Ares and Hephaestus did talk to me. As I stood there in tears, Ares gave the reins to Hephaestus, Ares pulled me in for a hug. "Sarkasmos, we know you didn't do it. You may be an Olympian God, but your heart is not yet cruel enough to commit murder. So, despite how much I hate Hephaestus, and him me, we're going to work together, and help you". "You… you are? Really? How?" I questioned. Hephaestus began to explain, "Zeus' plan was to put you into a family as a 12 year old. And use the sand on you to make you believe you belong with them. But Apollo has been working on a new 'medicine' that will give you back your memories. On your 16th birthday, we'll find a way to get it to you. The thing is, you won't know what it is, and there's a chance you won't even take it. So you need to tell us something we can use to remind you of this conversation".

"Feathers", I whispered. "The feathers of the Pegasus is something I won't forget". "Okay, feathers it is. Now once you've taken the medicine, you'll remember everything about us all at once, tends to cause a headache. Sleep is really the only remedy. And during that initial sleep, Morpheus will tap into your mind, so Apollo can visit you in your dreams", Ares finished. "Why are you all helping me?" I asked. "Because you've saved Apollo twice now, and it's our turn to save you", Hephaestus replied with a slight smile. The last thing I remember is pulling him into a hug.

Now, back to the sand. You can't just manipulate a single person's thoughts if you decide to use the sand. You have to use it on everybody around them. All it does is change what a person believes or how they perceive anything Gods related. And believe me, the Gods never use it unless it's necessary for them. So, the sand was used on my human family, friends, and me. When I first became human, I remember having a childhood. I remembered incredible details from my 5th birthday party or my grade 3 camp. Things that never happened. The strange thing about the sand is how real it makes things seem. Had it not been for Apollo's medicine when I turned 16, I truly could have lived the rest of my human life, oblivious to the fact that I was an Olympian God.

Thankfully, on my 16th birthday, I was walking towards a bowling alley with a group of my friends when a white feather floated down in front of me. I didn't think anything of it, until it suddenly turned black_. Ah, Apollo turned all crows black to represent death_, I thought to myself. But then I stopped. _Who is Apollo? Why does that name sound so familiar?_ I questioned myself for a few minutes before brushing the thought aside. When we got to the alley, we all chose a bowling ball to play with for the game. I picked up a pale blue one, and rolled it over to read the name. Artemis. The same sense of familiarity washed over me. My friends all ordered cola for drinks, but I decided to be different and ordered raspberry lemonade. As I took my first sip, my head started spinning, as though I'd been hit with a hammer. _Sarka, don't forget me. We're going to work together, and help you. Only of being taken away from you_. I didn't say goodbye to any of my friends, I just ran home. Through all the pain and all the months worth of memories that were pouring through my mind, there's only one thing that kept me sane. Apollo.


End file.
